JP2009274634A - Vehicular control device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To control in-vehicle equipment according to an optimum action request in case conflicting action requests are transmitted to the in-vehicle equipment. <P>SOLUTION: The vehicular control device is provided with an electronic unit for body-control which controls in-vehicle equipment including at least one of a light, a door lock and a horn. At least two electronic control units, a first electronic control unit and a second control unit, which transmit action requests to the in-vehicle equipment, are connected to the electronic unit for body-control. The electronic unit for body-control is equipped with a judgement section in which a priority order of action requests is set in advance in case where action requests from the first electronic control unit and the second electronic control unit conflict, and a control section which controls the in-vehicle equipment according to the judgement by the judgement section. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle control device, and more specifically, when a plurality of operation requests are simultaneously issued to one device for different purposes with respect to devices mounted on a vehicle such as a light, a door lock, and a horn. , So that the optimum operation request can be executed.

Recently, with the increase in functions of in-vehicle automobiles, the number of electronic control units (ECUs) installed in the automobile has also been increasing. For example, a body control electronic unit (hereinafter abbreviated as a body ECU) for controlling vehicle-mounted equipment (load device) such as a light, a door lock and a horn driven by a vehicle battery, and a vehicle battery (power supply device) are managed. Electronic control unit (hereinafter abbreviated as power management ECU) having a function to perform, an electronic control unit (hereinafter abbreviated as security ECU) having a security function for controlling a horn operation and the like for security warning according to the vehicle state, etc. There is.
This type of ECU is connected to a large number of transmission lines (buses), and is based on a predetermined communication protocol, for example, an in-vehicle LAN (Local Area Network) conforming to a CAN (Controller Area Network) protocol that is currently standardized for in-vehicle use. It is possible to transmit / receive to / from each other.

When an operation request is issued from a plurality of these electronic control units to one load device, it is necessary to perform control that gives superiority or inferiority to the requested operation.
As this type of control system, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2006-160176 (Patent Document 1) and Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2007-99065 (Patent Document 2) have been proposed.

  In Patent Document 1, as shown in FIG. 6, various on-board electric devices (loads) driven by a battery include the first load group 100 including a relatively low importance system and the importance of the traveling system and the like. The load group is divided into three load groups, that is, a second load grape 200 including a system with a high level and a third load group 300 including a system where power interruption should be avoided as much as possible. On the other hand, a battery management ECU (power management ECU) is provided that includes power cutoff means for all loads belonging to these three groups. When the remaining battery capacity falls below the reference value, the power management ECU shuts off the power to the loads of the first load group 100 and the second load group 200 by the power shut-off means, and the user for the third load group 300 The power supply is cut off only when a predetermined response is received.

  In Patent Document 2, “priority operation request” and “non-priority operation request” are defined in advance with respect to various operation requests for a plurality of vehicle-mounted devices (loads) driven by a battery. When multiple operation requests are simultaneously issued from the vehicle control circuit to the on-board equipment, the corresponding load is operated according to the operation request command for the “priority operation request”, and the “non-priority operation request” is set. On the other hand, control is performed so that the corresponding load is operated by limiting to the operation with less power consumption than the operation according to the operation request.

However, in the vehicle control systems described in the first and second patent documents, in principle, priorities of a plurality of operation requests for each load are fixed and set from the beginning.
Therefore, when an operation request competing for one load, for example, an operation request for the load, and an operation stop request for the load due to a decrease in the remaining battery capacity are issued simultaneously, the operation is forcibly activated. A situation occurs in which a stop must be executed. That is, the control of the vehicle control device is uniform and the load cannot be operated in various operation modes suitable for the purpose of the operation request. For example, even if an operation stop request is issued due to a decrease in the remaining battery level, if an operation request for turning on a small light is issued at the same time from the viewpoint of security, the operation stop request based on the remaining battery level has priority. However, in many cases, it is preferable to follow the lighting operation of the rear order regardless of the battery state.

JP 2006-160176 A JP 2007-99065 A

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and in a vehicle control apparatus including a body control electronic unit that controls a vehicle-mounted device (load) driven by a battery, the body control electronic unit includes the body control electronic unit. It is an object of the present invention to provide a vehicle control device that can perform optimal control by giving superiority or inferiority according to the purpose of the load operation request when an operation request that conflicts with the load to be controlled is issued.

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention is a vehicle control device including a body control electronic unit that controls a vehicle-mounted device including at least one of a light, a door lock, and a horn,
At least two first electronic control units and a second electronic control unit for transmitting an operation request for the vehicle-mounted device are connected to the body control electronic unit;
The body control electronic unit is mounted on the vehicle in accordance with a determination unit that sets the superiority or inferiority of the operation request in advance when the operation requests of the first electronic control unit and the second electronic control unit conflict with each other. There is provided a vehicle control device comprising a control unit that controls equipment.

  In the present invention, the superiority or inferiority of the operation request is not uniformly defined, but when conflicting operation requests are issued at the same time, the superiority or inferiority is set in advance by comparing and considering the purposes of the operations requested for operation. Therefore, optimal control can be performed from various viewpoints such as safety.

For example, the first electronic control unit is an electronic control unit including a power management function, and an operation stop request for a vehicle-mounted device controlled by the body control electronic unit is used for the body control according to the remaining amount of battery power. It is supposed to be sent to the electronic unit.
On the other hand, the second electronic control unit is an electronic control unit including a security function, and an operation request for a vehicle-mounted device controlled by the body control electronic unit is transmitted to the body control electronic unit.
With respect to the small light controlled by the body control electronic unit, body stop control is performed from the first electronic control unit based on the remaining amount of battery power, and the second electronic control unit is requested from the security point of view. When it is put out to the electronic unit for use, it becomes an operation request opposite to that.
The determination unit of the body control electronic unit includes an operation stop request from the first electronic control unit and an operation request from the second electronic control unit according to a remaining battery level transmitted from the electronic control unit including the power management function. It will be set to determine the superiority or inferiority. For example, the determination unit performs control to prioritize the operation request of the second electronic control unit over the operation request of the first electronic control unit and prioritize the operation request from the viewpoint of security to turn on the light. Yes.

The body control electronic unit is further connected to an operation switch and / or a third electronic control unit to which an operation request is transmitted by an occupant's operation,
The determination unit includes an operation stop request for the electronic control unit including the power management function and an operation request for the electronic control unit including the security function, and an operation request and operation stop from the operation switch and / or the third electronic control unit. Judging the superiority or inferiority of the request.

  For example, when the ignition switch is off, the operation switch of the horn is pushed by the occupant, and at the same time, the operation of the horn is stopped due to the low battery level from the first electronic control unit including the power management function. When the request is issued, the operation stop request based on the remaining amount of the battery should be given priority over the horn operation by the occupant's will, and therefore the operation stop request of the first electronic control unit is prioritized.

  The body control electronic unit includes an answer back determination unit that performs an answer back operation when the vehicle-mounted device to be controlled is operated, and when the answer back operation request is made to the determination unit by the answer back operation determination unit, The determination unit determines whether the operation request of the electronic control unit including the power management function, the electronic control unit including the security function, the operation switch, and / or the third electronic control unit and the answer back operation request are superior or inferior. .

  The on-vehicle equipment that is controlled by the body control electronic unit and has conflicting demands from the electronic control unit having a power management function and the electronic control unit having a security function includes a horn and a small light.

Further, the present invention is a vehicle control device including a body control electronic unit that controls a vehicle-mounted device including at least one of a light, a door lock, and a horn,
The body control electronic unit is connected to the first electronic control unit;
The first electronic control unit includes both power management and security functions;
When the operation request from the power management function and the security function of the first electronic control unit conflicts, the body control electronic unit is configured to determine in advance whether the operation request is superior or inferior according to the determination of the determination unit. There is provided a vehicle control device including a control unit that controls a vehicle-mounted device.

  That is, the number of electronic control units connected to the body control electronic unit is not limited to two. For example, one first electronic control unit includes both power management and security functions, and is contradictory to the one electronic control unit. A request may be made. Therefore, also in this case, when the operation request is contradictory in the body control electronic unit, the determination unit that sets the superiority or inferiority of the operation request in advance, and the control that controls the on-vehicle equipment according to the determination of the determination unit Part.

Furthermore, the present invention is a vehicle control device including a body control electronic unit that controls a vehicle-mounted device including at least one of a light, a door lock, and a horn,
The body control electronic unit includes both a power management and a security function, and when an operation request from the power management function and the security function conflicts, a determination unit in which superiority or inferiority of the operation request is set in advance, There is provided a vehicle control device comprising a control unit that controls the on-vehicle equipment according to the determination.

  That is, the body control electronic unit itself may include both power management and security functions. Also in this case, when the operation request is contradictory in the body control electronic unit, a determination unit that sets the superiority or inferiority of the operation request in advance, and a control unit that controls the on-vehicle equipment according to the determination of the determination unit Is provided.

The determination of superiority or inferiority in the determination unit is performed with reference to the priority relationship table stored in the storage unit.
The priority relationship table is set separately when the ignition switch is turned on and off, and is set differently depending on the target device when the ignition switch is turned on and off.

  As described above, in the vehicle control device of the present invention, when a plurality of operation requests are issued for different purposes to the mounted equipment controlled by the body control electronic unit, the superiority or inferiority of the operation requests is previously determined according to the purpose. A determination unit with a mark is provided, and control is performed so as to perform an operation according to this determination. In this way, by giving superiority or inferiority between operation requests according to the purpose, problems that occur when conventional uniform superiority or inferiority are given, for example, small light from the point of security when traveling in the night or in the tunnel Although it should be lit, there is an advantage of not causing a problem that the light does not turn on from the remaining battery level. Further, when the remaining amount of the battery is low and the ignition switch is off, there is an advantage that the horn operation and answer-back operation of the occupant can be suppressed to reduce battery consumption.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
FIG. 1 shows a basic configuration of a vehicle control device 1 mounted on an automobile, and FIGS. 2A and 2B are respectively applied to a determination process in a determination unit of a body ECU of the vehicle control device.

  In FIG. 1, reference numeral 2 denotes a body control electronic unit which controls the operation of the body system device 3 mounted on the automobile. As the body system device 3, devices such as a small light 3 </ b> A, a horn 3 </ b> B, and a door lock 3 </ b> C are controlled as illustrated. In order to simplify the explanation, three types of devices are listed as the device 3, but many devices other than these devices are controlled by the body control electronic unit 2. These body devices 3 are driven by a power source from a battery 4.

  The body control electronic unit 2 includes an electronic control unit 5 (hereinafter referred to as a power management ECU 5) having a power management function including a first electronic control unit, and an electronic control unit having a security function including a second electronic control unit. 6 (hereinafter referred to as “security ECU 6”) via a CAN communication line constituting the in-vehicle LAN 7.

When the power management ECU 5 receives battery remaining amount detection data from a remaining amount detection sensor (not shown) attached to the battery 4, the power management ECU 5 compares the remaining amount data with a threshold value set in advance by the battery state determination unit 5a. If it is equal to or less than the threshold value, it is determined for each device 3A, 3B, 3C controlled by the body control electronic unit 2 that an operation stop request is issued according to the function of the device.
When the battery state determination unit 5a determines that an operation stop request should be issued, an operation stop request for each device 3 is issued to the body control electronic unit 2 via the communication interface 5b.

  The security ECU 6 gives an alarm by comparing the data received via the communication interface 6a from a number of ECUs and sensors connected via the in-vehicle LAN 7 with the data set in advance by the alarm state determination unit 6b. It is determined whether or not an operation request should be issued. For example, when it is determined from the point of security that the small lamp 3A should be turned on, an operation request for turning on the small lamp 3A is issued to the body control electronic unit 2 via the communication interface 6a.

The body control electronic unit 2 is connected to the communication interface 2a that receives an operation request from the power management ECU 5 and the security ECU 6, the priority determination unit 2b connected to the communication interface 2a, and the priority determination unit 2b. And a storage unit 2c made of R0M. The priority determination unit 2b is connected to each device 3 and controls each device 3 based on the determination result.
The body control electronic unit 2 is provided with a switch operation detection unit 2d connected to an occupant operation switch that operates the device 3 (in the present embodiment, the small light operation switch 9 is illustrated), and a priority determination unit 2b.
Furthermore, an answer back operation determination unit 2e for notifying an occupant of the operating state of the device 3 is provided and connected to the priority determination unit 2b.

When there is a conflicting request between the operation request from the power management ECU 5 and the operation request from the security ECU 6 related to the control target device 3 of the body control electronic unit 2 in the storage unit 2c. Stores superiority or inferiority information indicating superiority or inferiority relationships. The operation request includes an operation stop request.
For example, regarding the small light 3A to be controlled, the superiority / inferiority relationship information includes various operation requests ION preset according to the purpose of turning on the small light 3A from the security ECU 6 and the battery remaining power from the power management ECU 5. When conflicting requests are simultaneously made with an operation stop request (light extinction) for turning off the small light based on the amount, the superiority or inferiority relationship is preset.

In addition, an operation request is input to the priority determination unit 2b from the connected switch operation detection unit 2d and answerback operation determination unit 2e. That is, the operation request for the device 3 detected by the switch operation detection unit 2d and the request for the answerback operation based on the determination by the answerback operation determination unit 2e are issued to the priority determination unit 2b.
Therefore, the priority relationship when the operation request from the switch operation detection unit 2d and the answerback operation determination unit 2e and the operation request from the power management ECU 5 and the security ECU 6 are issued simultaneously is shown in FIG. It is stored in the priority relationship tables 31 and 32 shown in B).

The priority relationship is stored as tables 31 and 32 shown in FIGS.
The priority relationship table 31 shows the priority relationship when the ignition SW 21 is in the ON state. The priority relationship table 32 shows the priority relationship when the ignition SW 21 is in the OFF state.
In the priority relationship tables 31 and 32, the underlined operation in FIGS. 2A and 2B indicates that the operation is a priority operation.
The priority determination unit 2b is connected to the ignition SW 21 and an operation state (ON or OFF) of the ignition SW 21 is input. When the ignition SW 21 is ON, the priority relationship table 31 is referred to determine superiority or inferiority, and when the ignition SW 21 is OFF, the priority relationship table 32 is determined to determine superiority or inferiority.

For example, as shown in the priority relationship table 31 in FIG. 2A, when an operation request from the answer back operation determination unit 2e is input for the small light 3A, an operation stop request from the power management ECU 5 is input. Even if it was (Yes),
Since the operation request from the answerback operation determination unit 26 underlines “accept”, the operation request from the answerback operation determination unit 26 is received with priority over the operation stop request from the power management ECU 5.
Similarly, when an operation request from the answerback operation determination unit 2e is input, an operation request from the answerback operation determination unit 2e is accepted even if an operation stop request from the power management ECU 5 is input.
On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 2B, when the ignition SW 21 is OFF, when an operation request from the answerback operation determination unit 2e is input, and when an operation stop request is input from the power management ECU 5, The operation request from the answerback operation determination unit 2e is not accepted.

  The priority determination unit 2b controls each connected device 3 based on the priority operation request determined with reference to the priority relationship tables 31 and 32.

Next, a control operation for the device 3 controlled by the body control electronic unit 2 will be described.
For the small light 3A, as described above, the priority relationship tables 31 and 32 in FIGS. 2A and 2B are referred to, and the priority determination unit 2b determines the superiority or inferiority of the conflicting operation requests. The light 3A is operating.
That is, when the ignition switch AW21 is in the ON state, an operation request for turning on the small light 3A is input from the answer back operation determination unit 2e, the small light operation detection unit 2d or the security ECU 6 to the priority determination unit 2b. With reference to the relationship table 31, when the operation stop request (light-off request) for the small light 3A is not issued from the power management ECU 5 (none), all the operation requests are accepted and the small light 3A is turned on. Further, even if an operation stop request for the small light 3A is input from the power management ECU 5 to the priority determination unit 2b, the operation request for the answer back operation determination unit 2e, the small light operation detection unit 2d or the security ECU 6 is given priority, The light 3A is turned on.
On the other hand, when an operation request to turn on the small light 3A is input from the answer back operation determination unit 2e, the small light operation detection unit 2d or the security ECU 6 to the priority determination unit 2b when the ignition switch AW21 is in the off state, With reference to the relationship table 32, when the operation stop request (light-off request) for the small light 3A is not issued from the power management ECU 5 (none), all the operation requests are accepted and the small light 3A is turned on. On the other hand, when an operation stop request for the small light 3A is input from the power management ECU 5 to the priority determination unit 2b, the operation stop request from the power management ECU 5 is given priority if the operation request is from the answerback operation determination unit 2e. . As a result, a control signal that does not light the small light 3A is transmitted to the small light 3A.
However, in the case of an operation request for the small light operation detection unit 2d or the security ECU 6, the operation request is given priority and a control signal is transmitted so that the small light 3A is turned on.

Next, the horn 3B that is a control target will be described.
For the horn 3B, the priority relationship table 33 shown in FIG. 3 is stored in the storage unit 2c. The priority determination unit 2b determines the superiority or inferiority of the conflicting operation request with reference to the priority relationship table 33 with respect to the operation of the horn.
That is, as shown in the left column of the priority relationship table 33, as shown in the right column of the priority relationship table 33 and the horn operation request from the answer back operation determination unit 2d and the horn operation request from the security ECU 6. Referring to the priority relation information between the power management ECU 5 and the horn operation stop request, when an conflicting operation request is input, a determination process for accepting any operation request is performed. A control signal is transmitted to the horn 3B so as to perform the operation selected by this determination processing.

  When the control object of the body control electronic unit 2 is, for example, a headlight, the operation of the ignition SW 21 is performed when it is desired to change the priority of the operation request for the headlight depending on whether the vehicle is running or not. You may comprise so that a priority relationship table (not shown) may be switched according to a state (ON or OFF).

  Further, the control target of the body ECU 15 is not limited to the small light, the horn, the headlight, and the like, but can be other so-called vehicle control system on-vehicle equipment such as a door lock and a door mirror. .

FIG. 4 shows a second embodiment.
In the second embodiment, the first electronic control unit 50 is connected to the body control electronic unit 2. The first electronic control unit 50 provides a security function to the ECU having the power management function of the first embodiment. That is, the first electronic control 50 is connected to the battery 4 and includes a battery state determination unit 50a, and is connected to various sensors that transmit data necessary for security and other ECUs, and includes an alarm state determination unit 50b. ing.

Therefore, both the request for the operation based on the power management function and the request for the operation based on the security function are input from the first electronic control unit 50 to the body control electronic unit 2.
The body control electronic unit 2 has the same configuration as that of the first embodiment, and includes a priority determination unit 2b and a storage unit 2c connected to the priority determination unit 2b. The storage unit 2b stores the priority relationship tables shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B and FIG. 3 as in the first embodiment.

When an operation stop request is input from the power management to the small light from the first electronic control unit 50 and a small light operation request is input from the security function, as in the first embodiment, FIG. The superiority or inferiority of the operation request is determined with reference to (B).
Since other configurations and control actions are the same as those in the first embodiment, the same reference numerals are given and description thereof is omitted.

FIG. 5 shows a third embodiment.
In the third embodiment, the body control electronic unit 60 itself for controlling the device 3 has both a power management mechanism and a security function.
That is, the body control electronic unit 60 has the same configuration as the body control electronic unit 2 of the first and second embodiments, and also includes the configuration of the power management ECU 5 and the security ECU 6 of the first embodiment. The reference numerals are attached and the description is omitted.

  Thus, in the third embodiment, since the body control electronic unit 60 has both the power management function and the security function, it is not necessary to connect to two ECUs as in the first embodiment. It can be simplified, communication load can be reduced, and control delay due to communication delay can be prevented. In particular, when an operation request based on the power management function and the security function is issued in one electronic control unit, and these operation requests conflict, the priority determination unit 2b can quickly determine superiority or inferiority. The device 3 can be quickly controlled.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and includes various forms within the scope of the claims.

It is a whole lineblock diagram showing the vehicle control device of a 1st embodiment of the present invention. (A) (B) is drawing which shows the priority relationship table which shows the dominance between the operation requests | requirements with respect to the small light controlled by the electronic unit for body control of the said vehicle control apparatus. It is a figure which shows the priority relationship table which shows the dominance between the operation requests | requirements with respect to the horn controlled by the body control electronic unit of the said vehicle control apparatus. It is a whole block diagram which shows the vehicle control apparatus of 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a whole block diagram which shows the vehicle control apparatus of 3rd Embodiment of this invention. It is drawing which shows a prior art example.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Vehicle control apparatus 2 Body control electronic unit 2b Priority determination part 2c Memory | storage part 2d Switch operation detection part 2e Answer back operation | movement determination part 3 Vehicle mounted equipment 3A Small light 3B Horn 3c Door lock 4 Battery 5 Power management ECU
6 Security ECU
31 Priority Relationship Table 32 Priority Relationship Table 33 Priority Relationship Table

Claims (9)

A vehicle control device including a body control electronic unit that controls a vehicle-mounted device including at least one of a light, a door lock, and a horn,
At least two first electronic control units and a second electronic control unit for transmitting an operation request for the vehicle-mounted device are connected to the body control electronic unit;
The body control electronic unit is mounted on the vehicle in accordance with a determination unit that sets the superiority or inferiority of the operation request in advance when the operation requests of the first electronic control unit and the second electronic control unit conflict with each other. A vehicle control apparatus comprising: a control unit that controls the device.   The first electronic control unit is an electronic control unit including a power management function, and an operation stop request of a vehicle-mounted device controlled by the body control electronic unit according to the remaining amount of battery power is sent to the body control electronic unit The vehicle control device according to claim 1, wherein the control device is transmitted to the vehicle. The second electronic control unit is an electronic control unit including a security function, and transmits an operation request of a vehicle-mounted device controlled by the body control electronic unit to the body control electronic unit.
The determination unit determines whether the operation stop request from the first electronic control unit and the operation request from the second electronic control unit are superior or inferior according to a remaining battery level transmitted from the electronic control unit including the power management function. The vehicle control device according to claim 2. The body control electronic unit is further connected to an operation switch and / or a third electronic control unit to which an operation request is transmitted by an occupant's operation,
The determination unit includes an operation stop request for the electronic control unit including the power management function and an operation request for the electronic control unit including the security function, and an operation request and operation stop from the operation switch and / or the third electronic control unit. The vehicle control device according to claim 3, wherein the superiority or inferiority of the request is determined.   The body control electronic unit includes an answer back determination unit that performs an answer back operation when the vehicle-mounted device to be controlled is operated, and when the answer back operation request is made to the determination unit by the answer back operation determination unit, The determination unit determines whether the operation request of the electronic control unit including the power management function, the electronic control unit including the security function, the operation switch, and / or the third electronic control unit and the answer back operation request are superior or inferior. The vehicle control device according to claim 4.   The horn and the small light are included as the on-vehicle equipment that is controlled by the body control electronic unit and has conflicting demands from the electronic control unit having a power management function and the electronic control unit having a security function. The vehicle control device according to any one of claims 5 to 5. A vehicle control device including a body control electronic unit that controls a vehicle-mounted device including at least one of a light, a door lock, and a horn,
The body control electronic unit is connected to the first electronic control unit;
The first electronic control unit includes both power management and security functions;
When the operation request from the power management function and the security function of the first electronic control unit conflicts, the body control electronic unit is configured to determine in advance whether the operation request is superior or inferior according to the determination of the determination unit. A vehicle control device comprising: a control unit that controls a vehicle-mounted device. A vehicle control device including a body control electronic unit that controls a vehicle-mounted device including at least one of a light, a door lock, and a horn,
The body control electronic unit includes both a power management and a security function, and when an operation request from the power management function and the security function conflicts, a determination unit in which superiority or inferiority of the operation request is set in advance, A vehicle control apparatus comprising a control unit that controls the vehicle-mounted device according to the determination.   The vehicle control device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the determination of superiority or inferiority in the determination unit is performed with reference to a priority relationship table stored in a storage unit.

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